“Guess we’re chop liver,” one of the guys commented.
I grimaced. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’ll love us eventually. We’re pretty hard to resist.” He smiled cockily.
“Leave the poor girl alone, Jackson,” Wilma fussed.
Jackson was trying so hard to be the ladies’ man, sending me sultry looks that just looked so awkward on him. He was all of maybe sixteen, tall and slightly athletic, but with little muscle tone or allure. The poor guy was in for a rude awakening from a sassy girl one day.
I turned my attention to the one that mattered right now. “Please, Wilma?” Fear knotted in my chest.
“I’m sorry, honey, but I think it’s for the best that you take the time off,” she said, patting my thigh.
I felt the heat drain from me, replaced my stone cold shock. “But…you can’t do that.”
“Oh, I most certainly can and just did.” She leaned in closer. “Trust me, honey. You’ll thank me for it.”
“But I need the job. I have bills to pay, and I’m trying to save for college. You know that.” For the first time ever, she put me out. She was siding with him, despite knowing my situation. To a degree, I knew I was being irrational. I couldn’t serve with one hand. But I could bus the tables, load the dishwasher…something…anything.
“You need to let other people do stuff for you once in a while, Em. This is the perfect time to learn to rely on your new family. Regardless of what you think, they won’t abandon you.” She gave me a quick hug before kissing Marco on the cheek. “Come walk me out, Jackson.”
“Right behind you, cupcake.”
I was left totally speechless. How could Wilma do this to me? How could she abandon me in my time of need? She had to have known what happened at my apartment. I needed my job and the money now more than ever to fix things.
I looked at Marco, angry at seeing the satisfaction on his face. He was celebrating the fact that I couldn’t work. Probably because he knew if I couldn’t pay my bills, I’d be forced to live here permanently.
I quickly made an exit, heading straight for the outside. I didn’t care about the risks. I just needed space. I needed time to figure out a game plan. Maybe one of the resorts would hire me. It’s busy; February through April is the high season so they’re always looking for extra staff then. Maybe I could get a temp position until I could go back to the diner. I had to do something.
The second I felt the cold wind hit my face, I felt relief. My body was still sore, my mind on overload and my emotions a train wreck, but winter’s animosity somehow comforted me in the moment.
I started walking towards town. I didn’t know where I was going; I was just going.
“Mind if I join you?” Marco asked, already keeping pace with me.
“And if I say no?”
“I probably wouldn’t listen.”
“Guess I don’t mind then.” We walked together for another block or two as I gathered up the courage to be blunt with him. “Why did you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Tell Wilma to give me five weeks off.”
“Because that’s how long it’ll take you to heal.”
“It doesn’t matter how long it’ll take, I have to work. I can’t afford not to, especially now. You have to understand that.”
“What I understand is that yesterday was your first day off in two years. You can’t keep going at that pace.”
I tried to breathe through my frustration. “You’ve only just met me. You can’t possibly know what I can and can’t handle.”
“True, but I know what you should be handling.”
“You don’t know me, Marco. Please don’t try to pretend like you know what’s best for me. Please.” I sighed.
“Be honest with yourself, Emma. How were you going to serve with one working hand?”
“A little slower, but that’s all.” He released a low growl. “Don’t growl at me!”
He chuckled, offering me a sideways smile that would make normal women swoon. “I like it when you go alpha on me.”
I abruptly stopped. I couldn’t do this. My life was already complicated enough. I couldn’t handle anything more with anyone right now, especially the one who was trying to control it all. I turned face and walked away from him.
“Emma, you can’t keep running away from life,” he said, at my side again without exertion.
I kept walking without regard. I knew if I acknowledged him, I would have to acknowledge that I wanted him. Having his arms around me had felt amazing. I didn’t know how badly I wanted that contact with someone, and that was dangerous for me. I didn’t want to miss something I should have never had.
He stepped in front of me blocking my way. “Emma.” He stood tall, strong and commanding before me. I should have been intimidated, but all I kept thinking about was that night on the couch. He looked directly into my eyes, as if he was trying to capture something from me. I fought to shut down my emotions.
He started to lean into me. I knew what was coming and I wanted it. I’d never kissed anyone before. But I couldn’t let go of what little restraint I had left. I knew I would cave on everything if I did. I had to be strong.
He stopped a few centimeters from my lips, still gazing straight into me.
“I…” I took a breath. “I can’t risk it.” I broke away from him and headed back towards the confine, as I was now going to refer to it as. I probably needn’t explain why.
—
Chapter Seven
I rushed to the third floor and nearly ran into Noah at the door.
“Sorry.” Looking at him now, the memories flooded back.
“It’s okay. How are you feeling?”
“Um, good, thanks.” I wasn’t looking at him, but through him. The blood, the pain. I looked down at my hand still thoroughly bound. It was quite swollen and didn’t feel great, but then again I didn’t expect a broken bone, or more, to feel good. “Uh, thanks for rescuing me. I really appreciate it.”
He smiled, his whole face lighting up. “You’re welcome. It’s always a pleasure to rescue a pretty lady.” He blushed. “God, that was cheesy,” he laughed at himself. I instantly fell in love with his awkward charm. I couldn’t help but smile at him.
I heard Marco clear his throat behind me. I should have known he would be right on my tail.
“I’ll talk to you later. Thanks again.”
“Sure thing,” he said, but he wasn’t looking at me; his eyes were locked with his alpha, an unspoken communication commencing. I decided to leave them to talk alone.
I went into the living room and collapsed on the second sectional since a few of the guys were watching a movie on the first.
“Hey, Emma, want to watch this with us?” one of them asked.
I looked at a creature slashing a human on the screen and answered a solid, “No thanks.”
“Told you she wouldn’t go for it,” another said.
“You gotta bribe girls to watch this shit. Usually you gotta watch one of their pansy romantic comedies first,” yet another added. The others nodded and murmured agreements of sorts. I laughed inwardly at their assumptions.
I overheard all sorts of conversations as a waitress. You’d be surprised what some people chat about in a public restaurant. I didn’t take offense to their male brains controlling their views.
I closed my eyes against the headache setting in. Between the pressure in my head, the throbbing pain in my hand, and my emotional tug of war, I just wanted to shut down. I opened my eyes and was startled by how close Marco was. I hadn’t heard him or felt him. He was standing in front of me, leaning over and into me with his arms firmly planted on the back cushion on each side of my head. With my legs Indian style, I was trapped, completely caged in by his length.
I swallowed the lump in my throat. He unnerved me like this.
Abruptly, he pushed away. “Come with me,” he ordered.
“Why?” I pressed, on edge.
“Just
come.”
I hesitated, but finally agreed. He grabbed my hand and helped pull me off the sofa. When he led me to the stairwell, I was confused. Then we started heading up. We bypassed the fourth floor and went straight to the top. Unlike the others, this door had a code panel on it. He punched in a series of numbers until the lock clicked.
He held the door open for me. I looked at him questioningly. He jutted his chin to the side, gesturing for me to go in. I didn’t know what to expect, but was surprised when I walked into what looked like a penthouse apartment.
Like the levels below, the floors were entirely hardwood. The setup was different in that you walked into the living room, which connected to the open dining room and kitchen, essentially replicating downstairs, though on a much smaller scale. Instead of a swinging door, there was an L-shaped hallway with what appeared to be four or five closed doors.
“Sit,” he ordered.
My gaze traveled around the room as I strolled towards the sectional and sat down.
He went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. “Want something to eat or drink?”
“No, thanks.”
He nodded his head, closed the fridge and came to sit down next to me.
“What is this place?”
“The alpha’s domain.”
“Oh. Do you sleep up here?”
“Usually. There’s two bedrooms, a laundry room, a bathroom and an office behind those doors. You can go take a look if you want.”
“That’s okay. I’m sorry. I’m not usually nosy.”
He was staring at me. I fidgeted, feeling like I was back in middle school. I wished I could just let go and dive right into him, but I knew what the consequences could be. I couldn’t risk the heartbreak. I didn’t know if I would be able to start all over again. As it was, I was having a hard time forgetting his warm embrace on the sofa.
He stilled me with his sharp, silent gaze. His focus on me seemed to intensify with each passing second.
Suddenly, there was banging on his door causing me to jump. His face scrunched up and shoulders stiffened at the interruption. As he made his way towards the door, I caught him sniffing the air. I still found that a bit odd, though understood that’s what dogs did to identify someone or something.
He opened the door to Kuha, Noah and one other. “We have unwanted guests,” was all Kuha said before heading downstairs with the guys in tow.
Marco turned to me. “Stay here!” The door quickly shut behind him. I sat unmoving for a minute, but curiosity got the best of me.
I went over to the windows by his dining room table to peer outside. I immediately pulled back at the sight below. Marco and Ryan were face to face. Ryan’s features were glaring as he yelled something at Marco. Urik and a few other men of mixed origin stood behind Ryan giving dirty looks to the guys behind Marco. The scene was an old-fashioned school yard brawl set-up. They looked like a group of street fighters pushing up on each other, pressing each other’s buttons with jeers, just waiting, hoping, for someone to throw the first punch.
Just seeing Ryan again brought on anxiety, but seeing the way he was towards Marco and the pack was worse. I didn’t fear him; I feared what he would do next, and the way he was snapping in Marco’s face, close to the brink of an explosion, it seemed, I could only imagine the worst.
I rattled my brain trying to think of something I could do to help. I peeked out the window again. Ryan was still going on about something, when he suddenly pushed Marco. I didn’t stick around to watch through the window. Something inside me refused to let my pack take the brunt of this when it was me he wanted, though I still didn’t understand why.
My pack? My God, I was already building attachments even with my walls up.
I raced out the door and down all five flights of stairs. My side hurt from the physical demand, but I didn’t stop. I burst through the front door out onto the street into the commotion. Ryan threw back his arm ready to punch Marco. I don’t know what came over me; I felt the innate need to protect him. I ran with all my might and pounced Ryan, taking the punch he had aimed for Marco in my left shoulder. The pain funneled to my chest as he fell backwards with me on top of him, caught off guard from my launch. My right hand inadvertently was squashed between my body and his.
Suddenly I felt two sets of arms wrap around my waist from opposite sides. They were both pulling. I was being yanked in different directions. I wriggled aimlessly trying to break their holds. I didn’t know who was pulling me away, but I knew who was holding me back and he’d just wrapped his legs over mine, making it nearly impossible to move. Ryan completely clamped me to him from my waist down.
Ryan sneered in my face; his eyes cut into me. Next thing I knew, his teeth were razor sharp, belonging to a wolf, not a human. My eyes widened in horror as I leaned back, fighting harder. He moved one of his hands from my waist to grab my upper arm. He yanked me down towards him. The person behind me tightened their grip and began to pull harder nearly collapsing in my stomach with their strength.
I looked at Ryan. He smiled deviously and honed in on my shoulder. I suddenly knew what he was going to do. He was going to bite me. If any of the books I read were true, then I would be marked as his…and that would happen over my dead body.
My head was clouded by everything happening before me. It was all happening so fast; I could barely keep up with the actions. I fought harder to break away, but Ryan had an iron grip.
“Hold on to him, Emma. Don’t let go,” Marco commanded. Suddenly, both Ryan and I were flying through the air straight towards the abandoned building across the street. The move stunned Ryan, stopping him dead in his attempt to bite me. I closed my eyes and curled myself into Ryan despite him releasing me entirely, bracing myself for the impact. I felt the thud followed by multiple cracks and crunches before I fell backwards, right into…Marco’s arms?
He caught me before I hit the cold hard ground with Ryan still crushing me. I let go and Ryan slid off of me to the ground below. He groaned, lifting only his head. His pack was at his side in a split second, abandoning their war with mine. “This isn’t over,” he scoffed, spitting blood out of his mouth.
Marco was already walking away with me in his arms. He securely embraced me, holding me tightly to him as not to jostle me when he walked. His face was a mask with a hard edge. He bypassed the guys—still raging with adrenaline from the fight—without saying a word. He took me right back upstairs to his quarters past the living room and straight into a bedroom.
The room was painted gray, the furniture dark cherry. It was simple: a king-size bed, two nightstands with lamps and a dresser with a moderate size flat screen TV on top. There were no pictures on the wall, but the wall of windows was actually covered with curtains that were slightly open allowing the room to be filled with enough light to see, but not be disturbed.
He sat me on the bed. He unzipped my jacket and helped me out of it. Between my ribs and my shoulder, I didn’t know which one hurt worse during the process. Being thrown—despite Ryan absorbing most of the impact—jarred my previous bruising and had my hand further throbbing with fresh pain. I removed my scarf and set it to the side.
“Let me see your shoulder. Use your jacket to cover yourself.”
He reached out and lifted my shirt. I quickly followed with my jacket. I looked down and saw my skin was already a rainbow of discoloration in a large circle that spread over my shoulder and down around my collarbone. He gently ran his fingers over it, but his tenderness caused me to wince.
He hugged my face, a hand on each cheek. He gazed into my eyes, showing the fear and relief in his. “Never ever do that again. Do you hear me?” He was an anomaly in that moment—hard and soft at once.
I managed to nod my head in acknowledgment.
He closed his eyes, breathed in, and then kissed me. His lips cascaded upon mine; they were soft and explorative. I could tell he was holding back because his muscles were clenching as if he wanted to pounce; yet he didn’t. I pressed my lip
s softly against his merely allowing him to lead them where he wished. After all, I had no experience, though I’d read enough books to have a general idea of what to do. He broke away with a few small pecks. He opened his eyes and stared at me unabashed. “Never do that again,” he reiterated.
I swallowed. I knew my cheeks were awash in color as I gaped at him. Somehow I managed to nod my head once again.
“You should take some medicine and rest.” He dropped his hands and left the room.
I pulled my shirt back down, immediately feeling naked and alone. I missed his connection already. This was not good. I was supposed to be keeping my distance.
A minute later he returned with a glass of water and two pills in hand. “Don’t argue, just take it.”
I bit back a smile. Warmth enveloped my heart; he knew me so well already.
I swallowed the pills, as he took off my shoes. He purposefully waited until my mouth was full to do it so I couldn’t protest. “I could have done that myself you know.”
“I know,” he said. I shook my head. I wanted so badly to stop him from doing all these things for me. He was spoiling me, making it a million times harder by the second for me to leave. He had to have known that though.
“Lie down.” His tone left no room for argument.
I lowered myself and immediately sunk into the most comfortable mattress I’d ever encountered. I felt like I was floating on a cloud. I softly sighed as the layers beneath me slowly consoled my body, gently soothing my aches. I closed my eyes, indulging in the luxury. I felt him climb into the bed on the other side. I didn’t care though. I was in such a heaven that I was drifting off already.
—
I awoke to a room that was pitch black. I sat up, waiting for my eyes to adjust. I couldn’t see anything. Just then, Marco opened the bedroom door, allowing light from the living room to stream in.
“How are you feeling?”
I rubbed my eyes and stretched a bit, but stopped the second I felt the soreness of my upper body. “Um, okay.”
“You’re lying, but I’ll go with it.” He smirked.
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